Make sure your efforts yield maximum exposure and minimum waste Yes, there are some people who sit down daily to tell the world what’s on their minds. But these people who keep a web log (which, when crashed together, forms the origin of the word “blog”) aren’t typically charged with building a specific business. You, on the other hand, are. Should you sit down every day, or week, or month, and try and come up with a brilliant thought-leading/page-turning treatise, praying that writer’s block doesn’t hobble your efforts? No. Of course not. If you’re looking to build your business’ presence via a blog (always a good idea), carve the assignment into manageable chunks. The most effective tool for this task borrows from the world of print. It’s called the editorial calendar. As its name implies, it’s basically a list (month by month, week by week, whatever) which spells out the blogs you’ll be posting throughout the year. Doing it upfront will ease your efforts considerably thereafter. That said, here are some helpful pointers for drawing up one of these yourself: Commit to a given frequency. In other words, be realistic. It would be great to have a new and brilliant post every weekday, but can you really do that… all year long? One of the worst sins you can commit in business blogging is losing steam. Your blog engine (whether it’s WordPress, SquareSpace, Weebly, your own site, etc.) will arrange your blogs chronologically for easier reader navigation. The last thing you want prospects to see is a big fat stream of blog posts that are ages old—followed by sporadic dribs and drabs. Without reading a word, they’ll question your commitment and staying power as a business. So, honestly, set the bar a tad lower than you might expect. Give yourself a cushion. There are varying opinions on this topic, but we believe it’s better to make a difference than to make yourself look weak. Check others’ editorial calendars. This is not as egregious as it may seem. Sure, you can check your desk calendar for upcoming holidays, but how much business would an Arbor Day post attract? Look instead to trade publications in your industry; their advertising departments draw up editorial calendars in advance in order to attract business timed to trade shows, industry events, etc. Their work can help jog your memory. And don’t just look forward. Look backward, too. Read any “year in review” articles for the year that’s just passed; you’ll be sure to find some blog-worthy topics that will repeat this year, too. Be flexible. For all the prep work we’ve described, there will inevitably be a share of pop-up opportunities, too, in the form of breaking news stories you’ll want to comment on immediately as they occur. Mixing those in, as they happen, will make your overall blog feel more spontaneous and less “canned.” Looking at your calendar of topics, it should be easy to see which entries are more generic/less tied to a particular date. These are the ones that can get bumped when it’s time to weigh in on that big story. The following points aren’t so much about your calendar per se, but they can help you nonetheless: Link on. We’re not fans of regurgitated “production” blogs that simply rehash and re-organize tons of pre-existing material, wherein every other word is a hyperlink. Any blog that’s worth your reader’s time will be chock full of original material. But that shouldn’t render links unnecessary. Use them to help your reader: they can point to definitions of unusual terms, reference sources, and so on. And of course, use them to help yourself, too: if any of those target sites can end up sending traffic back your way, so much the better. Be yourself. One of our favorite quotes from John Adams goes like this. He was arguing to Thomas Jefferson why Jefferson should write the Declaration of Independence, instead of Adams himself. He explained: “Reason first: you are a Virginian and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second: I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third: You can write ten times better than I can.” How can you beat such candor? The point is: Don’t try to be generic or Wikipedia or even Thomas Jefferson. Let your own opinions and quirks shine through. They define you. And from a practical standpoint, they’ll boost your following. Leverage all channels. Don’t let that brilliantly-crafted blog languish alone on your website. Promote it by every means at your disposal: e-blasts, LinkedIn, Twitter, even in—dare we mention them?—phone conversations! Consider tapping a cost-effective outside resource. Following the above best-practice guidelines will maximize your odds of success. But they require time, effort, and skills which you may not have to spare. Fortunately for you, we have been helping consultancies, ad agencies, and direct clients alike to get the biggest bang for their blog-post bucks for more than 15 years. We can work from your rough notes or start from scratch, replete with all the research and interviews the assignment requires. Best of all, we’re fast, efficient, and surprisingly affordable, given the value we provide. Contact us right now and let’s discuss how we can quickly and easily make that next blog a monster success for you.
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Now’s the time to take control. When the ball drops, it seems everyone resolves to get in shape. But did you make the same resolutions for your business this year? In case your list is lean, here are some commitments you can make that will surely pay off in 2016: Review your marketing strategy. This assumes, of course, that you have one in the first place. (If not, may we suggest a to-do to precede this one…?) The world has changed: technology, competitors, regulation. Make sure your core message to targets is, well, on target. If it isn’t, adjust accordingly. This can be simple or quite challenging, depending upon the amount of remediation required. But whatever it takes, do it. Most of the other items on this list are tactical in nature, whereas this one is strategic. And it goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that there’s no sense in executing on a flawed strategy. Update your calendar. Lots of what will happen in 2016—trade shows, events, holidays—are marked well in advance. How do they mesh with, say, your editorial calendar for blog posts? Your schedule for targeted e-blasts? Your holiday messages? It’s not too hard to accomplish this step, and you’ll be extra prepared for each ensuing month if you do. Contact! Whether you’re using CRM software, a contact database, a SaaS solution like Salesforce.com, LinkedIn, or are old enough to remember a thing called a Rolodex (it was developed shortly after papyrus), you still need to keep your contacts current. Review. Revise. Cull. Group. Promote. Demote. This can be perversely entertaining (“Who’s been naughty and who’s been nice?!”), but it’s also the fastest way to find the lowest-hanging fruit. From there, it’s relatively easy to shake the trees. Develop your outgoing materials. They could be whitepapers. Podcasts. Newsletters. Conventional ads. Brochures. Tradeshow materials. Each has significant lead time, so back them into your schedule appropriately. Line up the vendors and resources required for each. Build in a cushion for the unforeseen. And make sure, of course, that everything tees up with the marketing strategy you honed in the first place. Work the media. If you already have experience making public relations work for you, keep up the good work. If not, now is the perfect time to take advantage of this powerful, credible, and cost-effective medium. Look back on the calendar you just updated: What things have you marked on it that are not just marketing-worthy, but newsworthy? Whether you work your editorial contacts in-house or tap an outside resource for P.R. assistance, it’s worth every ounce of effort. Put it this way: How much exposure does one sentence get on your website? Now ask yourself: How much exposure does one sentence get on the website of, say, The Wall Street Journal? Be social. How many times in 2015 did you a) vow to use social media more, or b) cringe when you saw how well some of your rivals are using it? Well, 2016 gives you a whole new chance. So take advantage! Go live. With all the texts, tweets, and emails we send and receive, sometimes we forget about things like spontaneous phone calls (heaven forbid!) and live meetings. Don’t. Let 2016 be your year to reconnect in person. It’s good for the soul. And it can be good for business, too. Have ideas to add? We’d love to hear your resolutions. Contact us and fill us in! |
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